The Lottery and Its Social and Ethical Implications
A lottery is a type of gambling in which tickets are sold for a chance to win prizes, including money. The term lottery is also used to describe a method of raising funds for public use, such as paving streets or constructing buildings. In the United States, most states and the District of Columbia have lotteries, and they account for about 2 percent of all state revenue. Nevertheless, the lottery has generated significant controversy and questions about its social and ethical implications.
The casting of lots to determine decisions and fates has a long history in humankind, but the idea of a lottery as an instrument of material gain is far more recent. The first public lotteries were established in the Low Countries in the 15th century, and town records show that they raised funds for everything from building town fortifications to helping the poor. In colonial era America, the practice was widespread; George Washington sponsored a lottery to finance his military expedition.
In her story The Lottery, Shirley Jackson criticized the blind acceptance of traditional rituals and outdated beliefs in her small-town community in Vermont. She wanted her audience to recognize the oblivion and barbarism that can occur in seemingly peaceful, idyllic places where people think they are doing good things for society.
She argued that the villagers in her story did not realize they were involved in a barbarous act because they believed it was the right thing to do. She also questioned democracy, as the majority in her story supported the lottery despite its obvious inhumanity.
Throughout the 20th century, most states adopted lotteries to raise revenue for a wide variety of purposes. During the 1980s, the popularity of lotteries surged and they began to rival state income taxes as the primary source of tax revenue. The popularity of the lottery was fueled by widening economic inequality and newfound materialism that asserted that anyone could become rich with enough effort or luck.
A number of states banned lotteries in the 1970s and 80s, but they were reinstated by the 1990s. Today, most states and the District of Columbia have a state-sponsored lottery that sells tickets for a chance to win prizes ranging from cash to cars and jewelry. State-sponsored lotteries have also expanded to include online and other types of games.
To be considered a lottery, an activity must have three components: payment, chance and prize. You must pay something of value for the chance to win, and the prize must be something you desire. The game may be conducted by a government agency or privately run. Federal statutes prohibit the mailing of promotional materials for a lottery in interstate and foreign commerce, but they allow the mail-in delivery of the tickets themselves. In order to participate in a state lottery, you must be a resident of the state in which you play. However, some private lotteries operate in multiple states. Lottery participation has increased in recent years, with the number of players rising by double digits from 2001 to 2007. The average ticket price is $2.